Two passing lanes on Highway 16 are going to tender with construction anticipated to start this summer, announced Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone.

“Increasing passing opportunities for motorists will go a long way toward improving safety along Highway 16, as well as making the highway more reliable and efficient for commercial traffic,” said Stone. “These upgrades are necessary because of the growing industrial development activity in the northwest and the expansion of the Port of Prince Rupert.”

A two kilometre extension will be made to the existing passing lane on Highway 16 at Rainbow Hill, 30 kilometres east of Prince Rupert, and a new two kilometre eastbound passing lane will be built on Highway 16 near Tyhee Lake, just east of Telkwa Village between Houston and Smithers. Improvements will also be made to the Bulkley View Rest Area.

Work on both projects is scheduled to start in June with completion expected in the fall.

Last October, $37.7 million in federal and provincial funding was announced for five new passing lanes on Highway 16 and Highway 37. The remaining three projects will get underway in 2018.

These projects are part of the B.C. on the Move, 10-year transportation plan commitment to improve the safety of roads and highways and support our growing resource sectors in the North. Over the next three years, the ministry and its partners are investing over $4.6 billion in priority transportation investments through B.C. on the Move.